Use this symbol… | To… | |
. | Match any single character except a new line. Example doc.p[/web.ethods/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘web’ followed by any single character and the string ‘ethods’. It would match both ‘webMethods’ and ‘webmethods’. | |
^ | Match the beginning of the string or line. Example doc.p[/^webMethods/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ at the beginning of the element or at the beginning of any line within that element. | |
$ | Match the end of the string or line. Example doc.p[/webMethods$/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ at the end of the paragraph element or at the end of any line within that element. | |
* | Match the preceding item zero or more times. Example doc.p[/part *555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘part’ followed by zero or more spaces and then the characters ‘555-A’. | |
+ | Match the preceding item 1 or more times. Example doc.p[/part +555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘part’ followed by one or more spaces and then the characters ‘555-A’. | |
? | Match the preceding item 0 or 1 times. Example doc.p[/part ?555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘part’ followed by zero or one space and then the characters ‘555-A’. | |
( ) | When used in an index, these characters group an item within the regular expression. Example doc.p[/part(,0)+May/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘part’ followed by one or more occurrences of the characters ‘,0’ and then the characters ‘May’. When used in a mask, they specify characters that you want to retain. Example doc.p[].text[(^.{25}).*] This example would keep the first 25 characters within each paragraph and discard the rest. | |
{n } | Match the preceding item exactly n times. Example doc.p[/^.{24}webmethods/].text This example would return any paragraph in which the word ‘webmethods’ started in the 25th character position of the paragraph. | |
{n ,} | Match the preceding item n or more times. Example doc.p[/^.{10,}webmethods/].text This example would return any paragraph in which the word ‘webmethods’ appeared anywhere after the 10th character position of the paragraph. That is, this example would return a paragraph in which the word ‘webmethods’ started in the 11th or later character position of the paragraph. | |
{0,m} | Match the preceding item none or at most m times. Example doc.p[/^.{1,4}webmethods/].text This example would return any paragraph in which the word ‘webmethods’ started in character position 2 through 5 of the paragraph. | |
| | Match the expression that precedes or follows this character. Example doc.p[/webmethods|webMethods/].text This example would return any paragraph that contained either ‘webmethods’ or ‘webMethods’. | |
\b | Match a word boundary. Example doc.p[/\bport\b/].text This example would return any paragraph that contained the word ‘port’, but not paragraphs that contained these characters as part of a larger word, such as ‘import’, ‘support’, ‘ports’ or ‘ported’. | |
\B | Match a boundary that is not a word boundary. Example doc.p[/\B555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph that contained the characters ‘555-A’ as part of a larger word such as AZ555-A, or Dept555-A, but not ‘555-A’ alone. | |
\A | Match only at the beginning of a string. Example doc.p[/\AwebMethods/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ at the beginning of the element or at the beginning of any line within that element. | |
\Z | Match only at the end of a string (or before a new line at the end). Example doc.p[/webMethods\Z/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ at the end of the paragraph element or at the end of any line within that element. | |
\n | Match a new line. Example doc.p[/webMethods\n/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ followed by the new line character. | |
\r | Match a carriage return. Example doc.p[/webMethods\r/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ followed by a carriage return. | |
\t | Match a tab character. Example doc.p[/\twebMethods/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ preceded by a tab character. | |
\f | Match a form feed character. Example doc.p[/webMethods\f/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ followed by a form feed character. | |
\d | Match any digit. Same as [0-9]. Example doc.p[/part \d555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing a part number that starts with any digit 0 through 9, and is followed by the characters 555-A. Therefore, it would match ‘part 1555-A’ but not ‘part A555-A’ or ‘part #555-A’. | |
\D | Match any non-digit. Same as [^0-9]. Example doc.p[/part \D555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing a part number that starts with any character other than 0 through 9, and is followed by the characters 555-A. Therefore, it would match ‘part A555-A’ and ‘part #555-A’, but not ‘part 1555-A’. | |
\w | Match any word character. Same as [0-9a-z_A-Z]. Example doc.p[/part \w4555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing a part number that starts with a letter or digit and is followed by the characters 555-A. Therefore, it would match ‘part A555-A’ and ‘part 1555-A’, but not ‘part #555-A’. | |
\W | Match any nonword character. Same as [^0-9a-z_A-Z]. Example doc.p[/part \W4555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing a part number that starts with a character other than a letter or digit, and is followed by the characters 555-A. Therefore, it would match ‘part #555-A’ and ‘part -555-A’, but not ‘part 1555-A’ or ‘part A555-A’. | |
\s | Match any white-space character. Same as [\t\n\r\f]. Example doc.p[/\swebMethods/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’ if it is preceded by a tab character, a new line character, a carriage return, or a form-feed character. | |
\S | Match any nonwhite-space character. Same as [^\t\n\r\f]. Example doc.p[/\SwebMethods/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the string ‘webMethods’, if that string is not preceded by a tab character, a new line character, a carriage return, or a form-feed character. | |
\0 | Match a null string. Example doc.p[/[^\0]/].text This example would return any paragraph that is not empty (null). | |
\xnn | Match any character with the hexadecimal value nn. Example doc.p[/\x1FwebMethods/].text This example would return any paragraph containing the ASCII unit-separator character (1F) followed by the characters ‘webMethods’. This example would return any paragraph containing the ASCII unit-separator character (1F) followed by the characters ‘webMethods’. | |
[ ] | Match any character within the brackets. Example doc.p[/part [023]555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing a part number that starts with the numbers 0, 2, or 3 and is followed by the characters 555-A. Therefore, it would match ‘part 0555-A’ and ‘part 2555-A’, but not ‘part 4555-A’. The following characters have special meaning when used within brackets: number that starts with the numbers 0, 2, or 3 and is followed by the characters 555-A. Therefore, it would match ‘part 0555-A’ and ‘part 2555-A’, but not ‘part 4555-A’. The following characters have special meaning when used within brackets: | |
Use this char… | To… | |
^ | Exclude characters from the pattern. Example doc.p[/part [^023]555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing a part number that does not start with the numbers 0, 2, or 3, but is followed by the characters 555-A. Therefore, it would match ‘part 4555-A’ and ‘part A555-A’, but not ‘part 0555-A’. | |
- | Specify a range of allowed characters. Example doc.p[/part [A-M]555-A/].text This example would return any paragraph containing a part number that starts with any letter A through M and is followed by the characters 555-A. Therefore, it would match ‘part A555-A’ and ‘part J555-A’, but not ‘part N555-A’. |